Integra Hellsing
Encyclopedia : I : IN : INT : Integra Hellsing
Sir Integral Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing (インテグラル・ファルブルケ・ウィンゲーツ・ヘルシング lit. Integuraru Faruburuke Wingētsu Herushingu) (インテグラ lit. Integura) is a character from the anime and manga series Hellsing. In both the TV series and OVA series, her Japanese voice is provided by Yoshiko Sakakibara, while her English voice is done by Victoria Harwood .
Integral Hellsing is the female lead of the manga (while Seras Victoria is the female lead of the anime); she and Alucard move the plot of the story. Ruthless, beautiful, sharp, calm, business-like and courageous — a description that fits the leader of the Hellsing organization perfectly. Her connection with Alucard seems deeper than just business, and their Master/Servant bond has been called ‘twisted love’ by the mangaka himself. She has been connected with him ever since the death of her father when she was a child, when she accidentally awakened him from his slumber in the Hellsing mansion's basement (volume 1 of the manga and Episode 10: Master of Monster in the anime), thus becoming Alucard's master. She rules the Hellsing organization with an iron (yet gentle to some) fist, being one of the few people (apart from Walter and, in brief flashes in the series, Seras) who can stand up to the force of Alucard's personality.
Integral is a superb fencer; she has been able to briefly block Alexander Anderson's attack (volume 1 of the manga) and behead a Nazi vampire after a car crash that shook her system. Her aim with a pistol is deadly accurate as well (the anime displays her skill in Episode 02: Club M, where she is seen shooting through the same hole on a practice target). From her childhood, she developed leadership skills to contest the adult male dominant world that could shun her by her age and gender. It is also speculated by fans that, just like her father and grandfather, she's well-versed in Occultism and Alchemy to be able to control Alucard's releases and finish him (In the anime, this was made more obvious when Integra performed a ritual with Masonic imagery in episodes 11 and 12). In recent episodes of the manga, it is seemed that Integra can, indeed, use some form of magic to control Alucard's abilities, but whether it is due to her magical abilities or her position as Alucard's master/mistress remains to be seen.
Alucard has offered his blood to her twice in the anime, and her fate was left open to interpretation: her first reply was changing subjects and avoiding an answer, but she hasn't declined the offer. In the Manga, while he still hasn't brought this issue, we have been told she's a virgin and that Alucard has returned to claim a woman at the end of volume 7.
There is a faint suggestion/assumption that she is not a full Caucasian. Her skin colour is slightly darker, and in the anime (Order 10), when Integra has her flashback scene, baby Integra in a photograph is held by a woman wearing a sari, suggesting that she may be of partial Indian descent, a possibility reinforced by that nation's ties to Great Britain.
Name and title
Integral's full name is only used in the manga. In the anime she is referred to once as 'Sir Integral Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing', but the main characters in particular normally call her 'Sir Integra'. Alucard drops the honorific title, often simply calling her Integra, although on one occasion calls her 'Miss Hellsing'.
Integral is a derivative of the Latin 'Integra' (the female form of integer) which means complete, perfect, lacking nothing essential, entire. It ties her further with her servant, Alucard, for she’s the last of the line and presumably the one who finished his ultimate vampire process. Her surname Hellsing is clearly an alternative version of Van Helsing (from her Dutch ancestor, Abraham van Helsing). Wingates was probably inspired by one of Lovecraft’s characters, Nathaniel Wingate Peaslee. Finally, Fairbrook gives out traits of her persona.
No reason has been provided as to why her title is Sir rather than Dame, though it has been hypothesized that this is because she is a member of the Royal Order of Protestant Knights, a fictional secret government organization responsible for the well-being of England. It is more likely that Kouta Hirano, the mangaka, misunderstood the British knighthood system. However, it should also be noted that in medieval times, noblewomen who held actual positions of authority would often choose to adopt the title Sir, rather than going by Dame, which normally connotes that one was wife to a man in a position of authority. This was because the male-dominant society at the time would typically not accept a female in a position of power unless she demonstrated her masculine qualities. The title has often increased the confusion for some newcomers to the TV series (for she's clearly female in the manga) when determining Integra's actual gender. It is also unclear whether her title comes from her father, in which case she is a rare hereditary baronetess.
Integral is also addressed as either ‘Master’ or ‘Mistress’ by Alucard and recently as “Countess” when she released him from restrictions.
Relationships
Integra's relationship to Alucard has been described as master and servant . Although with fan collected evidence and question to Kouta Hirano about them only brings up in question what could be more than that. The only clear evidence that could support this is after Alucard kills Rip Van Winkle and his change of addressing Integra to 'Countess' which can mean many things . As stated before, Alucard was coming to claim a woman 'he so thirstily longed for' in volume 7 of the manga. If you read closely, this is taken directly from the novel Dracula itself. Dracula came across the sea on Demeter to claim Mina the woman he thirsted for, and now Alucard is coming for Integra on the ship he killed Rip Van Winkle on. The woman he so thirstily longed for. The obviousness of this clear. Although as this is also a popular pairing now, even more so after Kouta's infamous statement: "Their Relationship is Master and Servant and twisted love like that is allowed.", it is hard to deteremine whether or not any other hints discused are creditable as an indication that their relationship is romantic in anyway or definite according to recent evidence.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.